Shelf mounting



Feb. 7, 1961 R. V. JOHNSON SHELF MOUNTING Filed Aug. 25, 1958 2 INVENTOR.

jZoy M efo 1222307? A TTORNEY SHELF MOUNTXNG Roy V. Johnson, Galesburg, Ill., assignor to Midwest Manufacturing Corporation, Galeshurg, Ill.

Filed Aug. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 756,779

2 Claims. (Cl. 312-214) This invention relates to a domestic refrigerator having a door formed with a food storage cavity at its inner side. More especially the invention relates to a mounting for a shelf in such a cavity, the mounting enabling the shelf to be quickly removed from the cavity and quickly repositioned therein at a selected elevation.

Although it is not new to provide refrigerator cabinet doors with removable shelves, the shelves as used in older refrigerators were so supported therein that they were lacking in ease of removal and rearrangement in the doors at selected elevations. The operations of removing and/or repositioning of the shelves were comparatively time consuming, especially when these operations were performed by unskilled persons.

When constructed in accordance with the present invention, a refrigerator cabinet door and shelf therefor may be manufactured at a cost lower than formerly, since support of the shelf has been simplified. The invention further enables the shelf to be removed from and repositioned in the refrigerator cabinet at a different level more rapidly, especially by an unskilled person, than has previously been possible.

An object of the invention is therefore to both reduce the cost of manufacture of the shelf itself and also its means of support within a refrigerator door.

Another object is to simplify the support of the shelf within the door.

An additional object is to provide means to guide the shelf into a selected position within the refrigerator door as a convenience for repositioning the shelf therein.

Still another object is to save time in removing and repositioning a shelf in the door.

Other advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims:

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of -a refrigerator cabinet in front elevation, the door of which is shown open;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section, drawn to an enlarged scale, it being taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Throughout the drawings the reference character 11 is used to denote a refrigerator cabinet in its entirety. It includes a body portion 12 having a compartment 13 closable by a door 14 hinged at one side of the compartment.

The door 14 is formed with an outer wall or shell 16 and inner wall provided largely by a liner 17 in addition to some suitable thermally non-conductive material such as glass wool 18 between the walls. The door is further provided with an endless weather strip 19.

The liner 17 is of some suitable plastic material and formed in one part. Also, the liner 17 is formed with a 2,970,873 Patented Feb. 7, 1961 ridges having internal side walls 23 which, together with the back wall 22, define a shelf cavity 24. Therein at least one shelf 26 may be supported in any one of a plurality of positions vertically of the cavity 24.

Shelf support is provided by a vertical row of pads 27 formed on each of the walls 23. Each of the pads 27 on one side wall 23 is opposite another pad at the same level on the opposite side wall. Each of the pads is of triangular formation and, except as necessitated by their complementary arrangement on opposite side walls, are identical in formation. Each of the pads has a horizontal edge 28 between the back wall 22 and a stop 29, preferably integral with the pad 27, within the immediate front of the cavity 24. Each of the pads is further defined by a cam edge or cam 31 sloping from the stop 29 downward to a horizontal edge 32 spaced from the edge 28 of the pad immediately next below the pad just referred to provide a notch or groove 33. The wall 28 therefore acts as the lower while cam 31 acts as the upper of a pair of follower guides converging toward the back wall 22 to direct the support portion freely into the grooves 33 during repositioning of said shelf.

The shelf 26 is of L-shaped cross-section. It includes a horizontal base or carrier portion 34 and an integral upright or front guard portion 36. Rearwardly thereof, the carrier portion 34 is formed with a false beaded edge 37 partly to stiffen its structure and partly to provide feet or follower portions at its ends to rest on one of the pairs of edges 28, the grooves 33 being formed to freely receive the follower portions. The carrier portion 34 is, of course, further stiffened by the front guard 36 as is the upper edge of the. latter which is of inverted U-shape at 38 to embrace opposite sides of a pair of a the stops 29 as depicted in Fig. 3.

In order to position one of the shelves 26 at a selected elevation in the shelf cavity 24, the beaded edge 37 is passed over a pair of the stops 29 and into a pair of the grooves 33. In so doing the follower portions may first engage the cam edges 31 which deflects the follower portions downward and convey them to their position between the edges 23 and 32 to retain the shelf against vertical displacement. To maintain this status the shelf must of course be anchored against horizontal displacement. And this is effected by hooking the ends of the shelf edge 33 over a pair of opposed stops 29, the stops then supporting the front of the shelf.

As an added feature, the stop 29 may take the form of a lug inclined toward the front of the cavity 24. And the upper edge 38 may include spaced apart stop engageable portions 39 and 41 inclined in accordance with the inclination of the stops 29 so that on inserting the shelf in a selected position the inclined sides of the stop 29, by cam cooperation with the portions 39 diverts the edge 38 downward into hooked engagement with the stop 29 as the beaded edge 37 enters the grooves 33. By an analogous cam cooperation between the edge portion 1 41 and the stop 29 the front guard is elevated out of engagement with the stop as the shelf is withdrawn from its supported position in the shelf cavity.

Having thus described my invention, I am aware numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom without departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. 7

I claim:

1. The combination with a refrigerator door having an inner liner formed with back and side walls partly defining a shelf cavity and a removable shelf having a support portion and front guard portion, said support p0rtion being formed with a follower portion at its edge remote from said front guard portion, of a vertical row of pairs of upper and lower follower guides on each of Y said side walls, the follower guides of each of said pair thereof converging toward said back wall and being thereat spaced to provide notches for accommodation of said follow portions after said follower portions have been guided into said notches during repositioning of said shelf in said cavity thereby to facilitate positioning of said shelf at a selected elevation in said cavity, each of said lower follower guides being horizontal and supportingly engaging said follower portion to afford support for the rear of said shelf, an upwardly extending stop at the end of each of said upper follower guides remote from said back wall, and hook portions at the upper ends of said front guard for hooked cooperation with said stops when said follower portions are in said notches thereby to support said shelf at the front thereof.

2. In combination with a refrigerator door having an outer casing within which is arranged a liner formed with a back wall and pair of side walls to define a shelf cavity, at least one shelf having a support portion and a front guard portion, said support portion being formed with a follower portion at its edge remote from said front guard portion, a vertical row of pads on each of said side Walls, corresponding pads in the respective rows being horizontally aligned and spaced to provide at said back wall grooves for receiving the ends of said follower portion, a guide cam on each of said pads continuing from the lower sides thereof adjacent said rear wall upward and outward to the upper and outer portion of said pads, said guide cams cooperating with the follower portion to guide said follower portion into said grooves, and a stop at the outer end of each of said pads, said front guard portion being formed with a hooked portion upwardly thereof for hooked cooperation with pairs of said stops next above the grooves in which the follower portion is receivable, said stop being formed with opposed sides extending forwardly of the cavity and the hooked portion including walls adapted for complementary engagement with the sides of said stop, one of the sides of said stop and one of the adjacent hooked portion wall cam-cooperating with said stop to guide said hooked portion into operative hooked relation to said stop from the point of initial engagement of said hooked portion with said stop and the other of said adjacent hook wall camcooperating to guide said hooked portion out of operative hooked relation to said stop during removal of said shelf thereby to facilitate anchoring the shelf against horizontal displacement and removal ofthe shelffrom its anchorage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

